Meet Our Team

15 years ago we were a couple with a son who moved here from Austin, TX, ready to chase a dream of opening a running store in our hometown. We always affectionately talk about Baltimore as being a "homers" town. Many of us go away but we all seem to come back and appreciate it more once we are back. This is a great community filled with solid families who have good values and thankfully an affection and loyalty for the homers that have small businesses.

We hired a guy (Mike Nasuta) who did not say much and was making milkshakes at Friendly’s and ran for Calvert Hall. Then we hired a girl who said less and was a standout runner at Towson and had never had a job (Cori Koch). After being around them and their families, we realized that we had a skill more important than any marketing or technical fitting skill, we (mostly Kara) could identify, hire and retain quality human beings. The guy went on to run for Wash U and is now some wicked smart scientist in Australia and the girl who ran for the Terps is in product development at Under Armour.

We hired Erin Chlumsky of Fallston fame to be our first store manager and then we had to open in Harford County. Now Erin has a thriving massage and yoga practice in Boulder, CO.

The wicked smart guy had a brother (Brian Nasuta) working at Applebees Neighborhood Grill and he had a friend at Towson. The Applebees brother graduated from Towson and opened our store in Bel Air and the friend (Tom Mansfield) opened our store in Annapolis. Brian hired a Patriot named Josh Pickett who eventually took over the Bel Air store after years of hard work.

Sweet Katie Heyl used to run from the store and talk about her job working in a cube and we fixed that and then Katie launched an estore for us, bought the apparel and did all the training groups. Then she decided to move on to a better career (motherhood) and told us not to worry. She said Ericka Butler was going to take us to the next level and then she followed in Katie’s footsteps. Now they both coach and we love having them. A younger Pickett brother (Ben Pickett) is now leading the charge in Timonium and taking us to the next level as we head into our 15th year in business.

Marie Bolton moved to the area and worked at the Y and she was in a training group, then ran the training groups, then opened a store in Clarksville, then launched Charm City Run Training and then launched a new brand, VITA. Luckily, Rich Levi a friend since the mid-80s was returning to the Charm City and was excited about the Howard County challenge.

The Dolphin Whisperer, Deirdre Weadock finally joined us full time to open a Charm City Run in the Charm City.

In 2001, we decided to have a race to commemorate 911 and we met Dave Cooley and he became like a father to me and a guiding force in Charm City Run and then he helped us find Kelly Dees who took Charm City Run Events to unforeseen heights. Join us for the B3 to see what I mean.

Three very important women have joined us since 2010. Lisa “Queenie” Costello has been a friend since high school and was actually our very first employee. I begged her to work at the store more than 10 years ago. On her first day she showered the vestibule with three cups of coffee. Now she runs our entire apparel business and gives me a hard time. Thank her for the run crab and the O.

Ashley Lines had her own marketing firm but she was too good and we kept asking her to do more and the power of the run convinced her to give up her own thing and inspire people through us.

Kelly Maurer was running lacrosse tournaments in Anne Arundel County but she was such a bright light at the stores and in training programs that we talked her off of the field and onto the pavement and trails. Kelly launched Medals for Mettle. Ask her about it.

We have built Charm City Run not one store at a time but one person at a time. We have the privilege of watching these folks grow and develop all within the solid character with which they came to us.

Thanks to all of you who have supported us over the years. We hope that you have been treated like a human being and received service second-to-none.